Atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide films

ABSTRACT

A dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film disposed in an integrated circuit and a method of fabricating such a dielectric layer provide a dielectric layer for use in a variety of electronic devices. Embodiments include forming titanium silicates and/or mixtures of titanium oxide and silicon oxides as dielectric layers in devices in an integrated circuit. In an embodiment, a titanium silicon oxide film is formed by depositing titanium oxide by atomic layer deposition and silicon oxide by atomic layer deposition onto a substrate surface. Embodiments include structures for capacitors, transistors, memory devices, and electronic systems with dielectric layers containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film, and methods for forming such structures.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to semiconductor devices and device fabrication.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor device industry has a market driven need to reduce the size of devices such as transistors. To reduce transistor size, the thickness of the silicon dioxide, SiO₂, gate dielectric is reduced in proportion to the shrinkage of the gate length. For example, a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) would use a 1.5 nm thick SiO₂ gate dielectric for a gate length of 70 nm. A goal is to fabricate increasingly smaller and more reliable integrated circuits (ICs) for use in products such as processor chips, mobile telephones, and memory devices such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs).

Currently, the semiconductor industry relies on the ability to reduce or scale the dimensions of its basic devices, primarily, the silicon based MOSFET. This device scaling includes scaling the gate dielectric, which has primarily been fabricated using silicon dioxide. A thermally grown amorphous SiO₂ layer provides an electrically and thermodynamically stable material, where the interface of the SiO₂ layer with underlying silicon provides a high quality interface as well as superior electrical isolation properties. However, increased scaling and other requirements in microelectronic devices have created the need to use other dielectric materials as gate dielectrics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an atomic layer deposition system for an embodiment of a method for fabricating a dielectric layer containing titanium silicon oxide.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to form a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to form a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a configuration of a transistor having a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a configuration of a floating gate transistor having a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a configuration of a capacitor having a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film.

FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of a dielectric layer including a nanolaminate having at least one layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film.

FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram for an embodiment of a controller coupled to an electronic device, where at least one of the controller or the electronic device has a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film.

FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram for an embodiment of an electronic system having one or more devices with a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. Other embodiments may be utilized and structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The various embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some disclosed embodiments can be combined with one or more other disclosed embodiments to form new embodiments.

The terms wafer and substrate used in the following description include any structure having an exposed surface with which to form an integrated circuit (IC) structure. The term substrate is understood to include semiconductor wafers. The term substrate is also used to refer to semiconductor structures during processing, and may include other layers that have been fabricated thereupon. Both wafer and substrate include doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial semiconductor layers supported by a base semiconductor or insulator, as well as other semiconductor structures well known to one skilled in the art. The term conductor is understood to generally include n-type and p-type semiconductors and the term insulator or dielectric is defined to include any material that is less electrically conductive than the materials referred to as conductors. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In an embodiment, an electronic device includes a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film in an integrated circuit, where the titanium silicon oxide film has a regulated oxygen content. In various embodiments, methods for forming electronic devices and systems include forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film in an integrated circuit, where the titanium silicon oxide film is formed by atomic layer deposition. The atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layer may be formed having a predetermined oxygen content by regulating the precursors used to incorporate oxygen in the titanium silicon oxide. Regulation of the oxygen content in the titanium silicon oxide films may control oxygen vacancies in the atomic layer deposited film. Controlling oxygen vacancies in a titanium silicon oxide film may provide for a film that has a relatively high dielectric constant and low leakage current characteristics. In an embodiment, titanium-containing precursors and silicon-containing precursors that are substantially without oxygen content are used in the atomic layer deposition process. These precursors may include titanium halide precursors and silicon halide precursors. Oxygen content in atomic layer deposition processes using titanium and silicon precursors that are substantially without oxygen content may be provided by oxygen in reactant precursors used in the process.

A gate dielectric in a transistor has both a physical gate dielectric thickness and an equivalent oxide thickness (t_(eq)). The equivalent oxide thickness quantifies the electrical properties, such as capacitance, of the gate dielectric in terms of a representative physical thickness. t_(eq) is defined as the thickness of a theoretical SiO₂ layer that would be required to have the same capacitance density as a given dielectric, ignoring leakage current and reliability considerations.

A SiO₂ layer of thickness, t, deposited on a Si surface as a gate dielectric will have a t_(eq) larger than its thickness, t. This t_(eq) results from the capacitance in the surface channel on which the SiO₂ is deposited due to the formation of a depletion/inversion region. This depletion/inversion region can result in t_(eq) being from 3 to 6 Angstroms (Å) larger than the SiO₂ thickness, t. Thus, with the semiconductor industry driving to someday scale the gate dielectric equivalent oxide thickness to under 10 Å, the physical thickness for a SiO₂ layer used for a gate dielectric would be need to be approximately 4 to 7 Å.

Additional requirements on a SiO₂ layer would depend on the gate electrode used in conjunction with the SiO₂ gate dielectric. Using a conventional polysilicon gate would result in an additional increase in t_(eq) for the SiO₂ layer. This additional thickness could be eliminated by using a metal gate electrode. Maintaining the use of a conventional polysilicon gate, future devices would be designed towards a physical SiO₂ gate dielectric layer of about 5 Å or less. Such a small thickness for a SiO₂ oxide layer creates additional problems.

Silicon dioxide is used as a gate dielectric, in part, due to its electrical isolation properties in a SiO₂—Si based structure. This electrical isolation is due to the relatively large band gap of SiO₂ (8.9 eV) making it a good insulator from electrical conduction. Significant reductions in its band gap would eliminate it as a material for a gate dielectric. As the thickness of a SiO₂ layer decreases, the number of atomic layers, or monolayers of the material in the thickness decreases. At a certain thickness, the number of monolayers will be sufficiently small that the SiO₂ layer will not have a complete arrangement of atoms as in a larger or bulk layer. As a result of incomplete formation relative to a bulk structure, a thin SiO₂ layer of only one or two monolayers will not form a full band gap. The lack of a full band gap in a SiO₂ gate dielectric would cause an effective short between an underlying Si channel and an overlying polysilicon gate. This undesirable property sets a limit on the physical thickness to which a SiO₂ layer can be scaled. The minimum thickness due to this monolayer effect is thought to be about 7-8 Å. Therefore, for future devices to have a t_(eq) less than about 10 Å, other dielectrics than SiO₂ need to be considered for use as a gate dielectric.

For a typical dielectric layer used as a gate dielectric, the capacitance is determined as one for a parallel plate capacitance: C=κ∈₀A/t, where κ is the dielectric constant, ∈₀ is the permittivity of free space, A is the area of the capacitor, and t is the thickness of the dielectric. The thickness, t, of a material is related to its t_(eq) for a given capacitance, with SiO₂ having a dielectric constant κ_(ox)=3.9, as t=(κ/κ_(ox))t _(eq)=(κ/3.9)t _(eq). Thus, materials with a dielectric constant greater than that of SiO₂, 3.9, will have a physical thickness that can be considerably larger than a desired t_(eq), while providing the desired equivalent oxide thickness. For example, an alternate dielectric material with a dielectric constant of 10 could have a thickness of about 25.6 Å to provide a t_(eq) of 10 Å, not including any depletion/inversion layer effects. Thus, a reduced equivalent oxide thickness for transistors can be realized by using dielectric materials with higher dielectric constants than SiO₂.

The thinner equivalent oxide thickness required for lower transistor operating voltages and smaller transistor dimensions may be realized by a significant number of materials, but additional fabricating requirements makes determining a suitable replacement for SiO₂ difficult. The current view for the microelectronics industry is still for Si based devices. This requires that the gate dielectric employed be grown on a silicon substrate or silicon layer, which places significant constraints on the substitute dielectric material. During the formation of the dielectric on the silicon layer, there exists the possibility that a small layer of SiO₂ could be formed in addition to the desired dielectric. The result would effectively be a dielectric layer consisting of two sublayers in parallel with each other and the silicon layer on which the dielectric is formed. In such a case, the resulting capacitance would be that of two dielectrics in series. As a result, the t_(eq) of the dielectric layer would be the sum of the SiO₂ thickness and a multiplicative factor of the thickness, t, of the dielectric being formed, written as t _(eq) =t _(SiO) ₂ +(κ_(ox)/κ)t. Thus, if a SiO₂ layer is formed in the process, the t_(eq) is again limited by a SiO₂ layer. In the event that a barrier layer is formed between the silicon layer and the desired dielectric in which the barrier layer prevents the formation of a SiO₂ layer, the t_(eq) would be limited by the layer with the lowest dielectric constant. However, whether a single dielectric layer with a high dielectric constant or a barrier layer with a higher dielectric constant than SiO₂ is employed, the layer interfacing with the silicon layer must provide a high quality interface to maintain a high channel carrier mobility.

One of the advantages of using SiO₂ as a gate dielectric has been that the formation of the SiO₂ layer results in an amorphous gate dielectric. Having an amorphous structure for a gate dielectric provides for reducing problems of leakage current associated with grain boundaries in polycrystalline gate dielectrics that provide high leakage paths. Additionally, grain size and orientation changes throughout a polycrystalline gate dielectric can cause variations in the film's dielectric constant, along with uniformity and surface topography problems. Typically, materials having the advantage of a high dielectric constant relative to SiO₂ also have the disadvantage of a crystalline form, at least in a bulk configuration. The best candidates for replacing SiO₂ as a gate dielectric are those that can be fabricated as a thin layer with an amorphous form and that have a high dielectric constant.

High-κ materials include materials having a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide, for example, dielectric materials having a dielectric constant greater than about twice the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide. Examples of such high-κ materials include HfO₂, ZrO₂, Ta₂O₃, La₂O₃, Al₂O₃, and Y₂O₃. Other materials that provide dielectric constants higher than silicon oxide include metal silicates, though the dielectric constants of metal silicates tend to be lower than their corresponding metal oxides. Dielectric layers of titanium silicon oxide offer a material that can provide a relatively high dielectric constant with respect to silicon oxide. Engineering a titanium silicon oxide film can provide dielectric layers for electronic devices with dielectric constants that may range in value from about 3.9 for SiO₂ to about 80 for TiO₂.

Other characteristics for choosing a silicon oxide replacement include using materials that provide a sharp interface with silicon that may lead to a low density of interface states, that provide a large energy barrier from the conduction band to the Fermi level of the gate electrode to maintain leakage current at acceptable levels, and that provide structural stability with contact electrodes and substrate material during device processing steps performed after providing the dielectric layer.

Various embodiments for forming a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition provide a film having a titanium silicate, a titanium oxide/silicon oxide mixture, or a combination of a titanium silicate and a titanium oxide/silicon oxide mixture. Furthermore, the titanium silicon oxide film may be a specific stoichiometric titanium silicon oxide and/or a non-stoichiometric titanium silicon oxide. The expression TiSi_(x)O_(y) is used herein to represent a stoichiometric and/or a non-stoichiometric titanium silicate, the expression TiO_(x) is used herein to represent a stoichiometric and/or a non-stoichiometric titanium oxide, and the expression SiO_(y) is used herein to represent a stoichiometric and/or a non-stoichiometric silicon oxide. A silicon oxide, a titanium oxide, or a titanium silicate may contain trace amounts or dopants of other elements. Embodiments of dielectric layers containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layer have a larger dielectric constant than silicon dioxide. Such dielectric layers provide a significantly thinner equivalent oxide thickness compared with a silicon oxide layer having the same physical thickness. Alternatively, such dielectric layers provide a significantly thicker physical thickness than a silicon oxide layer having the same equivalent oxide thickness. This increased physical thickness aids in reducing leakage current.

Another consideration for selecting the material and method for forming a dielectric layer for use in electronic devices and systems concerns the roughness of a dielectric layer on a substrate. Surface roughness of the dielectric layer has a significant effect on the electrical properties of the gate oxide, and the resulting operating characteristics of the transistor. The leakage current through a physical 1.0 nm gate oxide increases by a factor of 10 for every 0.1 increase in the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness.

During a conventional sputtering deposition process stage, particles of the material to be deposited bombard the surface at a high energy. When a particle hits the surface, some particles adhere, and other particles cause damage. High energy impacts remove body region particles creating pits. The surface of such a deposited layer can have a rough contour due to the rough interface at the body region.

In an embodiment, a titanium silicon oxide dielectric layer having a substantially smooth surface relative to other processing techniques is formed using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Further, forming such a dielectric layer using atomic layer deposition can provide for controlling transitions between material layers. Thus, atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide dielectric layers can have an engineered transition with a substrate surface.

ALD, also known as atomic layer epitaxy (ALE), is a modification of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and is also called “alternatively pulsed-CVD.” In ALD, gaseous precursors are introduced one at a time to the substrate surface mounted within a reaction chamber (or reactor). This introduction of the gaseous precursors takes the form of pulses of each gaseous precursor. In a pulse of a precursor gas, the precursor gas is made to flow into a specific area or region for a short period of time. Between the pulses, the reaction chamber is purged with a gas, which in many cases is an inert gas, and/or evacuated.

In a chemisorption-saturated ALD (CS-ALD) process, during the first pulsing phase, reaction with the substrate occurs with the precursor saturatively chemisorbed at the substrate surface. Subsequent pulsing with a purging gas removes precursor excess from the reaction chamber.

The second pulsing phase introduces another precursor on the substrate where the growth reaction of the desired film takes place. Subsequent to the film growth reaction, reaction byproducts and precursor excess are purged from the reaction chamber. With favourable precursor chemistry where the precursors adsorb and react with each other on the substrate aggressively, one ALD cycle can be performed in less than one second in properly designed flow type reaction chambers. Typically, precursor pulse times range from about 0.5 sec to about 2 to 3 seconds.

In ALD, the saturation of all the reaction and purging phases makes the growth self-limiting. This self-limiting growth results in large area uniformity and conformality, which has important applications for such cases as planar substrates, deep trenches, and in the processing of porous silicon and high surface area silica and alumina powders. Significantly, ALD provides for controlling film thickness in a straightforward manner by controlling the number of growth cycles.

The precursors used in an ALD process may be gaseous, liquid or solid. However, liquid or solid precursors should be volatile. The vapor pressure should be high enough for effective mass transportation. Also, solid and some liquid precursors may need to be heated inside the reaction chamber and introduced through heated tubes to the substrates. The necessary vapor pressure should be reached at a temperature below the substrate temperature to avoid the condensation of the precursors on the substrate. Due to the self-limiting growth mechanisms of ALD, relatively low vapor pressure solid precursors can be used, though evaporation rates may vary somewhat during the process because of changes in their surface area.

There are several other characteristics for precursors used in ALD. The precursors should be thermally stable at the substrate temperature, because their decomposition would destroy the surface control and accordingly the advantages of the ALD method that relies on the reaction of the precursor at the substrate surface. A slight decomposition, if slow compared to the ALD growth, may be tolerated.

The precursors should chemisorb on or react with the surface, though the interaction between the precursor and the surface as well as the mechanism for the adsorption is different for different precursors. The molecules at the substrate surface should react aggressively with the second precursor to form the desired solid film. Additionally, precursors should not react with the film to cause etching, and precursors should not dissolve in the film. Using highly reactive precursors in ALD contrasts with the selection of precursors for conventional CVD.

The by-products in the reaction should be gaseous in order to allow their easy removal from the reaction chamber. Further, the by-products should not react or adsorb on the surface.

In a reaction sequence ALD (RS-ALD) process, the self-limiting process sequence involves sequential surface chemical reactions. RS-ALD relies on chemistry between a reactive surface and a reactive molecular precursor. In an RS-ALD process, molecular precursors are pulsed into the ALD reaction chamber separately. The metal precursor reaction at the substrate is typically followed by an inert gas pulse to remove excess precursor and by-products from the reaction chamber prior to pulsing the next precursor of the fabrication sequence.

By RS-ALD, films can be layered in equal metered sequences that are all identical in chemical kinetics, deposition per cycle, composition, and thickness. RS-ALD sequences generally deposit less than a full layer per cycle. Typically, a deposition or growth rate of about 0.25 to about 2.00 Å per RS-ALD cycle can be realized.

The advantages of RS-ALD include continuity at an interface avoiding poorly defined nucleating regions that are typical for chemical vapor deposition (<20 Å) and physical vapor deposition (<50 Å), conformality over a variety of substrate topologies due to its layer-by-layer deposition technique, use of low temperature and mildly oxidizing processes, lack of dependence on the reaction chamber, growth thickness dependent solely on the number of cycles performed, and ability to engineer multilayer laminate films with resolution of one to two monolayers. RS-ALD processes allows for deposition control on the order on monolayers and the ability to deposit monolayers of amorphous films.

Herein, a sequence refers to the ALD material formation based on an ALD reaction of a precursor with its reactant precursor. For example, forming titanium oxide from a TiI₄ precursor and H₂O₂, as its reactant precursor, forms an embodiment of a titanium/oxygen sequence, which can also be referred to as a titanium sequence. In various ALD processes that form an oxide or a compound that contains oxygen, a reactant precursor that contains oxygen is used to supply oxygen. Herein, a precursor that contains oxygen and that supplies oxygen to be incorporated in the ALD compound formed and is typically used in an ALD process with precursors supplying the other elements in the ALD compound is referred to as an oxygen reactant precursor. In the above example, H₂O₂ is an oxygen reactant precursor. A cycle of a sequence includes pulsing a precursor, pulsing a purging gas for the precursor, pulsing a reactant precursor, and pulsing the reactant's purging gas. Further, in forming a layer of a metal species, an ALD sequence may deal with reacting a precursor containing the metal species with a substrate surface. A cycle for such a metal forming sequence may include pulsing a purging gas after pulsing the precursor containing the metal species. Additionally, deposition of a semiconductor material may be realized in a manner similar to forming a layer of a metal, given the appropriate precursors for the semiconductor material.

In an ALD formation of a compound having more than two elements, a cycle includes a number of sequences to provide the elements of the compound. For example, a cycle for an ALD formation of an ABO_(x) compound may include sequentially pulsing a first precursor/a purging gas for the first precursor/a first reactant precursor/the first reactant's purging gas/a second precursor/a purging gas for the second precursor/a second reactant precursor/the second reactant's purging gas, which may be viewed as a cycle having two sequences. There may be cases in which ALD formation of an ABO_(x) compound uses one precursor that contains the elements A and B such that pulsing the AB containing precursor followed by its reactant precursor onto a substrate includes a reaction that deposits ABO_(x) on the substrate to provide an AB/oxygen sequence. A cycle of an AB/oxygen sequence may include pulsing a precursor containing A and B, pulsing a purging gas for the precursor, pulsing a reactant precursor to the A/B precursor, and pulsing a purging gas for the reactant precursor. A cycle may be repeated a number of times to provide a desired thickness of the compound. In an embodiment, a layer of titanium silicon oxide is formed on a substrate mounted in a reaction chamber using ALD in repetitive titanium and silicon sequences using precursor gases individually pulsed into the reaction chamber. Alternatively, solid or liquid precursors can be used in an appropriately designed reaction chamber.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an atomic layer deposition system 100 for processing a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film. In FIG. 1, a substrate 110 is located inside a reaction chamber 120 of ALD system 100. Also located within the reaction chamber 120 is a heating element 130, which is thermally coupled to substrate 110 to control the substrate temperature. A gas-distribution fixture 140 introduces precursor gases to the substrate 110. Each precursor gas originates from individual gas sources 151-154 whose flow is controlled by mass-flow controllers 156-159, respectively. Gas sources 151-154 provide a precursor gas either by storing the precursor as a gas or by providing a location and apparatus for evaporating a solid or liquid material to form the selected precursor gas.

Also included in the ALD system are purging gas sources 161, 162, each of which is coupled to mass-flow controllers 166, 167, respectively. Furthermore, additional purging gas sources can be constructed in ALD system 100, one purging gas source for each precursor gas, for example. For a process that uses the same purging gas for multiple precursor gases, fewer purging gas sources are required for ALD system 100. Gas sources 151-154 and purging gas sources 161-162 are coupled by their associated mass-flow controllers to a common gas line or conduit 170, which is coupled to the gas-distribution fixture 140 inside the reaction chamber 120. Gas conduit 170 is also coupled to vacuum pump, or exhaust pump, 181 by mass-flow controller 186 to remove excess precursor gases, purging gases, and by-product gases from the gas conduit at the end of a purging sequence.

Vacuum pump, or exhaust pump, 182 is coupled by mass-flow controller 187 to remove excess precursor gases, purging gases, and by-product gases from reaction chamber 120 at the end of a purging sequence. For convenience, control displays, mounting apparatus, temperature sensing devices, substrate maneuvering apparatus, and necessary electrical connections as are known to those skilled in the art are not shown in FIG. 1. Though ALD system 100 is well suited for practicing the present invention, other ALD systems, commercially available, may be used.

The use, construction and fundamental operation of reaction chambers for deposition of films are understood by those of ordinary skill in the art of semiconductor fabrication. Embodiments of the present invention may be practiced on a variety of such reaction chambers without undue experimentation. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will comprehend the necessary detection, measurement, and control techniques in the art of semiconductor fabrication upon reading the disclosure.

The elements of ALD system 100 can be controlled by a computer. To focus on the use of ALD system 100 in the various embodiments of the present invention, the computer is not shown. Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the individual elements such as pressure control, temperature control, and gas flow within ALD system 100 can be under computer control.

In an embodiment, a method for forming an electronic apparatus includes forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film in an integrated circuit, where the titanium silicon oxide film is formed by atomic layer deposition. The titanium silicon oxide film may be a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture film, a TiSi_(x)O_(y) film, or a film having a combination of a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture and TiSi_(x)O_(y). In an embodiment, the dielectric layer is formed substantially as the titanium silicon oxide film. In an embodiment, the titanium silicon oxide film is formed with a predetermined amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film. In an embodiment, the titanium silicon oxide film is formed with the oxygen content of the film regulated. In various embodiments, the dielectric layer may be formed as a dielectric in a capacitor in an integrated circuit, as a dielectric in a capacitor of a dynamic random access memory, as a gate insulator in a silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor, as a tunnel gate insulator in a flash memory device, as an inter-gate insulator in a flash memory device, as a dielectric in a NROM flash memory, and as a nanolaminate dielectric in a NROM flash memory. An embodiment of a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film may be formed as an integral part of a wide variety of electronic devices in electronic apparatus and systems.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to form a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film. At 210, a layer of titanium oxide is formed on a substrate by atomic layer deposition. The layer may be formed to provide uniform coverage of the desired area of the substrate surface for forming the dielectric layer. A number of precursors containing titanium may be used to provide titanium and a number of precursors containing oxygen may be used. At 220, a layer of silicon oxide is formed on the substrate by atomic layer deposition. A number of precursors containing silicon may be used to provide silicon and a number of precursors containing oxygen may be used. The silicon oxide and the titanium oxide are deposited to form a titanium silicon oxide film. The titanium silicon oxide film may be formed as an integral component of an electronic device in an integrated circuit.

In an embodiment, titanium oxide is deposited before silicon oxide. In an embodiment, silicon oxide is deposited before titanium oxide. Alternatively, titanium and silicon may be jointly deposited using precursors that substantially do not react with each other, but react at the substrate surface. In an embodiment, one of either titanium or silicon may be deposited by atomic layer deposition with the other metal deposited at a later stage of the process for forming the titanium silicon oxide film.

In an embodiment, a titanium halide precursor is pulsed onto a substrate, a silicon halide precursor is pulsed onto the substrate, and, after pulsing both the titanium halide and silicon halide precursors, an oxygen reactant precursor is pulsed onto the substrate to form a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition in an integrated circuit. In such an embodiment, an oxygen reactant precursor is pulsed only after at least one titanium halide precursor and one silicon halide precursor has been pulsed. The titanium halide and silicon halide precursors may be TiCl₄ and SiCl₄. The titanium silicon oxide film may be formed as a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture, a TiSi_(x)O_(y), or a combination of a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture and TiSi_(x)O_(y).

In various embodiments, an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layer having a predetermined oxygen content may be formed by regulating the precursors used to incorporate oxygen in the titanium silicon oxide. Regulation of the oxygen content in the titanium silicon oxide films may control the formation or the distribution of oxygen vacancies in the atomic layer deposited film. Oxygen content regulation may be provided through control of the pulsing sequence, pulse time of the oxygen containing precursors, and coverage of the film region with respect to forming a substantially complete layer or partial layer during a cycle, along with regulating the substrate environment such as the temperature. Providing the regulation of the oxygen content may include the selection of the precursors to be used in the ALD process. Selection of appropriate oxygen reactant precursors in a sequence using an organometallic titanium precursor and/or a silicon precursor containing oxygen may affect the overall oxygen content of the ALD titanium silicon oxide film. Controlling oxygen vacancies in a titanium silicon oxide film may provide a film that has a relatively high dielectric constant and low leakage current characteristics. In an embodiment, titanium-containing precursors and silicon-containing precursors that are substantially without oxygen content are used in the atomic layer deposition process. These precursors may include titanium halide precursors and silicon halide precursors. Oxygen content in atomic layer deposition processes using titanium and silicon precursors that are substantially without oxygen content may be provided by oxygen in reactant precursors used in the process.

In an embodiment, a silicon precursor, whose structure may be represented by SiR, may be used in an ALD process with a TiR precursor to form a film of titanium silicon oxide, where R represents a compound such that SiR and TiR may be used as an ALD precursor. In an embodiment, R is a halide. In an embodiment, TiCl₄ and SiCl₄ may be used to form an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layer. Alternatively, TiI₄ and SiI₄ may be used as precursors. Using non-organometallic precursors may limit the incorporation of carbon in a film of atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide. In an embodiment, a method may include forming a titanium silicon oxide layer by atomic layer deposition, where the layer is substantially without carbon content.

A titanium silicon oxide layer may be formed using a number of cycles having various permutations of titanium sequences and silicon sequences. In an embodiment, the titanium sequences and the silicon sequences are controlled to form the titanium silicon oxide film with a predetermined amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film. By controlling the content of the silicon and the titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film, a film may be engineered with predetermined electrical characteristics. With a high silicon content relative to titanium, the dielectric constant of the film approaches that of silicon oxide with a low leakage current density at a given electric field strength. With a low silicon content relative to titanium, the dielectric constant of the film approaches that of titanium oxide, but with a higher leakage current density at the same electric field strength. The silicon content may be adjusted to provide a titanium silicon oxide film having a dielectric constant in the 20 range, while maintaining an acceptable range of leakage current density. In an embodiment, for a given ratio of silicon to titanium (or amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium), an ALD process for forming a titanium silicon oxide film may include regulating the oxygen content in the titanium silicon oxide to control the formation or distribution of vacancies in the titanium silicon oxide film. This oxygen content regulation may enhance the leakage current characteristics of the titanium silicon oxide film.

Either before or after forming the titanium silicon film, other dielectric layers such as nitride layers and/or insulating metal oxide layers may be formed as part of the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer may be formed as a nanolaminate. An embodiment of a nanolaminate may include a layer of titanium oxide and the titanium silicon oxide film. Alternatively, the dielectric layer may be formed substantially as the titanium silicon oxide film.

In various embodiments, the structure of the interface between the dielectric layer and the substrate on which it is disposed is controlled to limit the inclusion of silicon oxide, since a silicon oxide layer would reduce the effective dielectric constant of the dielectric layer. The material composition and properties for an interface layer are typically dependent on process conditions and the condition of the substrate before forming the dielectric layer. Though the existence of an interface layer may effectively reduce the dielectric constant associated with the dielectric layer and its substrate, the interface layer, such as a silicon oxide interface layer or other composition interface layer, may improve the interface density, fixed charge density, and channel mobility of a device having this interface layer.

In the various embodiments, the thickness of a titanium silicon oxide film is related to the number of ALD cycles performed and the growth rate associated with the selected permutations of sequences in the cycles. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, particular effective growth rates for the engineered titanium silicon oxide film can be determined during normal initial testing of the ALD system for processing a titanium silicon oxide dielectric for a given application without undue experimentation.

Atomic layer deposition of the individual components of the titanium silicon oxide layer allows for individual control of each precursor pulsed into the reaction chamber. Thus, each precursor is pulsed into the reaction chamber for a predetermined period, where the predetermined period can be set separately for each precursor. Additionally, for various embodiments for ALD formation of a titanium silicon oxide layer, each precursor can be pulsed into the reaction under separate environmental conditions. The substrate can be maintained at a selected temperature and the reaction chamber maintained at a selected pressure independently for pulsing each precursor. Appropriate temperatures and pressures may be maintained, whether the precursor is a single precursor or a mixture of precursors. During atomic layer deposition, the pulsing of the precursor gases is separated by purging the reaction chamber with a purging gas following each pulsing of a precursor. In an embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the purging gas following the pulsing of each precursor used in a cycle to form a film of titanium silicon oxide. Additionally, the reaction chamber can also be purged by evacuating the reaction chamber.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of elements for an embodiment of a method to form a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layer. This embodiment can be implemented with the atomic layer deposition system 100 of FIG. 1. At 305, a substrate 110 is prepared. The substrate used for forming a transistor is typically a silicon or silicon containing material. In other embodiments, germanium, gallium arsenide, silicon-on-sapphire substrates, or other suitable substrates may be used. This preparation process may include cleaning substrate 110 and forming layers and regions of the substrate, such as drains and sources of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor, prior to forming a gate dielectric. Alternatively, these active regions may be formed after forming the dielectric layer, depending on the over-all fabrication process implemented. In an embodiment, the substrate is cleaned to provide an initial substrate depleted of its native oxide. In an embodiment, the initial substrate is cleaned also to provide a hydrogen-terminated surface. In an embodiment, a silicon substrate undergoes a final hydrofluoric (HF) rinse prior to ALD processing to provide the silicon substrate with a hydrogen-terminated surface without a native silicon oxide layer.

Cleaning immediately preceding atomic layer deposition aids in reducing an occurrence of silicon oxide as an interface between a silicon based substrate and a titanium silicon oxide dielectric formed using the atomic layer deposition process. The material composition and properties of an interface layer are typically dependent on process conditions and the condition of the substrate before forming the dielectric layer. Though the existence of an interface layer may effectively reduce the dielectric constant associated with the dielectric layer and its substrate, the interface layer, such as a SiO₂ interface layer or other composition interface layer, may improve the interface density, fixed charge density, and channel mobility of a device having this interface layer.

The sequencing of the formation of the regions of the transistor being processed may follow typical sequencing that is generally performed in the fabrication of a MOS transistor as is well known to those skilled in the art. Prior to forming a gate dielectric, masking of substrate regions to be protected during the gate dielectric formation, as is typically performed in MOS fabrication, may be included in the processing. In this embodiment, the unmasked region includes a body region of a transistor; however, one skilled in the art will recognize that other semiconductor device structures may utilize this process. Additionally, the substrate 110 in its ready-for-processing form is conveyed into a position in reaction chamber 120 for ALD processing.

At 310, a precursor containing titanium, such as a TiCl₄ precursor is pulsed into reaction chamber 120. Other titanium halides, such as TiI₄, may be used. The TiCl₄ is pulsed into reaction chamber 120 through the gas-distribution fixture 140 onto substrate 110. The flow of the TiCl₄ is controlled by mass-flow controller 156 from gas source 151, where the TiCl₄ is maintained. In an embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained at temperature ranging from about 100° C. to about 500° C. by heating element 130. The TiCl₄ reacts with the surface of the substrate 110 in the desired region defined by the unmasked areas of the substrate 110. In embodiments, precursors containing titanium may include, but are not limited to TiCl₄, TiI₄, Ti(OCH(CH₃)₂)₄, and/or Ti(OC₂H₅)₄.

At 315, a first purging gas is pulsed into the reaction chamber 120. In an embodiment, nitrogen is used as a purging gas and a carrier gas. The nitrogen flow is controlled by mass-flow controller 166 from the purging gas source 161 into the gas conduit 170. Using the pure nitrogen purge avoids overlap of the precursor pulses and possible gas phase reactions. In an embodiment, argon gas or other inert gas may be used as the purging gas. Following the purge, a first oxygen-containing precursor is pulsed into the reaction chamber 120, at 320.

For a titanium sequence using TiCl₄ as the precursor, water vapor may be selected as the precursor acting as a reactant to deposit titanium and oxygen on the substrate 110. The H₂O vapor is pulsed into the reaction chamber 120 through gas conduit 170 from gas source 152 by mass-flow controller 157. The water vapor reacts aggressively at the surface of substrate 110.

Following the pulsing of the first oxygen-containing precursor, a second purging gas is injected into the reaction chamber 120, at 325. Nitrogen gas may be used to purge the reaction chamber after pulsing each precursor gas in the titanium/oxygen sequence. In an embodiment, argon gas or other inert gas may be used as the purging gas. Excess precursor gas and reaction by-products are removed from the system by the purge gas, in conjunction with the exhausting of the reaction chamber 120 using vacuum pump 182 through mass-flow controller 187, and exhausting of the gas conduit 170 by the vacuum pump 181 through mass-flow controller 186.

The titanium sequence may be performed a number of times before proceeding to pulse a precursor containing silicon into reaction chamber 120. Various growth rates for titanium oxide may be attained including growth rates from about 0.04 nm/cycle to about 0.075 nm/cycle.

At 330, a precursor containing silicon is pulsed into reaction chamber 120. In an embodiment, SiCl₄ is used as the silicon-containing precursor. Other silicon halides, such as SiI₄, may be used. The SiCl₄ is pulsed to the surface of the substrate 110 through gas-distribution fixture 140 from gas source 153 by mass-flow controller 158. In an embodiment, during pulsing of the SiCl₄, the substrate may be held between about 340° C. and about 375° C. by the heating element 130.

At 335, a third purging gas is introduced into the system. In an embodiment following a SiCl₄ precursor, nitrogen may be used as a purging and carrier gas. Alternatively, argon may be used as a purging gas. The flow of the third purging gas is controlled by mass-flow controller 167 from the purging gas source 162 into the gas conduit 170 and subsequently into the reaction chamber 120.

At 340, a second oxygen-containing precursor is pulsed into the reaction chamber 120. For a silicon sequence using SiCl₄ as the precursor, oxygen, in the form of O₂ or O₃, may be used as the precursor acting as an oxidizing reactant to interact at the substrate 110. The oxygen is pulsed into the reaction chamber 120 through gas conduit 170 from gas source 154 by mass-flow controller 159. The oxygen reacts aggressively at the surface of substrate 110. In an embodiment, during the oxygen pulsing, substrate 110 may be raised to a temperature significantly higher than the temperature used during the pulsing of the precursor containing silicon. In an embodiment, the temperature for substrate 110 is at about 550° C. during the oxygen pulsing.

At 345, a fourth purging gas is injected into the reaction chamber 120. In an embodiment, nitrogen is used as the fourth purging gas to purge the reaction chamber. Alternatively, argon gas may be used as the fourth purging gas. Excess precursor gas and reaction by-products are removed from the system by the purge gas, in conjunction with the exhausting of the reaction chamber 120 using vacuum pump 182 through mass-flow controller 187, and exhausting of the gas conduit 170 by the vacuum pump 181 through mass-flow controller 186.

At 350, it is determined whether the titanium silicon oxide film is of the desired thickness, t. The thickness of a titanium silicon oxide film after one cycle is determined by the pulsing periods used in the titanium sequence and the silicon sequence at the given temperatures. Typically, at a given temperature, the pulsing periods can vary over a significant range above some minimum pulse time for the precursors, without substantially altering the growth rate. Once a set of periods for one cycle is determined, the growth rate for the titanium silicon oxide film will be set at a value such as N nm/cycle. For a desired titanium silicon oxide film thickness in an application such as forming a gate dielectric of a MOS transistor, the ALD process should be repeated for t/N cycles.

The desired thickness should be completed after t/N cycles. If less than t/N cycles have been completed, the process starts over at 310 with the pulsing of the precursor containing titanium. If t/N cycles have completed, no further ALD processing may be required and the titanium silicon oxide film is completed. Once the total number of cycles to form the desired thickness has been completed, the dielectric film containing the titanium silicon oxide layer may optionally be annealed. In an embodiment, the titanium silicon oxide layer is annealed in a dry oxygen atmosphere at about 400° C. Alternatively, the titanium silicon oxide layer is annealed in a nitrogen atmosphere.

At 360, after forming the titanium silicon oxide layer, processing the device having the dielectric layer containing titanium silicon oxide layer is completed. In an embodiment, completing the device includes further processing of the dielectric layer to include layers of other dielectric materials. In an embodiment, completing the device includes completing the formation of a transistor. In another embodiment, completing the device includes completing the formation of a capacitor. Alternatively, completing the process includes completing the construction of a memory device having an array with access transistors formed with gate dielectrics containing atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layers. Further, in another embodiment, completing the process includes the formation of an electronic system such as an information handling device that uses electronic devices with transistors formed with dielectric films containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide layer.

Embodiments for methods having elements similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3 may include numerous permutations for forming the titanium silicon oxide layer. In an embodiment, the silicon sequence is conducted before the titanium sequence. In an embodiment, a titanium/silicon cycle may include a number, x, of titanium sequences and a number, y, of silicon sequences. The number of sequences x, y may be selected to engineer the relative amounts of titanium to silicon. In an embodiment, the number of sequences x and y, along with associated pulsing periods and times, is selected to form a titanium silicon oxide with substantially equal amounts of titanium and silicon. In an embodiment, the number of sequences is selected with x=y. In an embodiment, the number of sequences x and y are selected to form a titanium-rich titanium silicon oxide. Alternatively, the number of sequences x and y are selected to form a silicon-rich titanium silicon oxide. In an embodiment of a method that includes forming a titanium silicon oxide film, an atomic layer deposition sequence includes forming an atomic layer of titanium oxide followed by forming an atomic layer of silicon oxide.

Various embodiments provide an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide films that are amorphous and have smooth interfaces with other layers relative to titanium silicon oxide films formed by other methods such as chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, sol gel, pulsed-laser deposition and reactive magnetron radio frequency sputtering. Processing a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition allows for the fabrication of an amorphous dielectric layer, which may avoid increase leakage current through grain boundaries that typically may accompany formation of polycrystalline films. Various embodiments provide a process for growing a dielectric film having a wide range of useful equivalent oxide thickness, t_(eq), associated with a dielectric constant in the range from about 3.9 to about 80. Forming dielectric layers with dielectric constants at the higher range allows the formation of layers with a t_(eq) ranging from about 5 Å to about 20 Å. In an embodiment, a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide layer has a t_(eq) of less than 5 Å. For applications relating to lower leakage current densities, titanium silicon oxide films may be formed with lower dielectric constants. Titanium silicon oxide films with dielectric constants around 20 may provide dielectrics with relatively low leakage current densities. Lower leakage current densities may be attained with titanium silicon oxide films having dielectric constants less than 10. The dielectric constant and leakage current density characteristics of a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film may be controlled by selectively controlling the silicon and titanium content in the titanium silicon oxide film. The leakage current density characteristics of a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film may be also be adjusted by selectively regulating the oxygen content in the titanium silicon oxide film. Additionally, the novel process can be implemented to form transistors, capacitors, memory devices, and other electronic systems including information handling devices.

A transistor 400 as depicted in FIG. 4 may be constructed by forming a source region 420 and a drain region 430 in a silicon based substrate 410 where source and drain regions 420, 430 are separated by a body region 432. Body region 432 defines a channel having a channel length 434. A gate 450 is formed over and contacts gate dielectric 440 disposed on substrate 410. In an embodiment, gate dielectric 440 contains a titanium silicon oxide film. Gate dielectric 440 may be realized as a dielectric layer formed substantially of a titanium silicon oxide film. Gate dielectric 440 may be dielectric layer containing one or more layers of dielectric material in which at least one layer is a titanium silicon oxide film.

An interfacial layer 433 may form between body region 432 and gate dielectric 440. In an embodiment, interfacial layer 433 may be limited to a relatively small thickness compared to gate dielectric 440, or to a thickness significantly less than gate dielectric 440 as to be effectively eliminated. In an embodiment, interfacial layer 433 is substantially without a silicon oxide layer. Forming the substrate, gate, and the source and drain regions may be performed using standard processes known to those skilled in the art. Additionally, the sequencing of the various elements of the process for forming a transistor may be conducted with standard fabrication processes, also as known to those skilled in the art. In an embodiment, gate dielectric 440 may be realized as a gate insulator in a silicon CMOS transistor. Use of such a gate dielectric including a titanium silicon oxide is not limited to silicon based substrates, but may be used with a variety of semiconductor substrates.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a configuration of a floating gate transistor 500 having an insulating layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film. Transistor 500 includes a silicon based substrate 510 with a source 520 and a drain 530 separated by a body region 532. Body region 532 between source 520 and drain 530 defines a channel region having a channel length 534. Located above body region 532 is a stack 555 including a gate dielectric 540, a floating gate 552, a floating gate dielectric 542, and a control gate 550. In an embodiment, floating gate 552 is formed over and contacts gate dielectric 540. An interfacial layer 533 may form between body region 532 and gate dielectric 540. In an embodiment, interfacial layer 533 may be limited to a relatively small thickness compared to gate dielectric 540, or to a thickness significantly less than gate dielectric 540 as to be effectively eliminated. In an embodiment, interfacial layer 533 is substantially without a silicon oxide layer.

In an embodiment, gate dielectric 540 includes a dielectric containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film. Gate dielectric 540 may be realized as a dielectric layer formed substantially of titanium silicon oxide. Gate dielectric 540 may include multiple layers in which at least one layer is substantially titanium silicon oxide. In an embodiment, gate dielectric 540 may include multiple layers where a substantially titanium silicon oxide film contacts body region 532.

In an embodiment, floating gate dielectric 542 includes a dielectric layer having an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film formed in embodiments similar to those described herein. Floating gate dielectric 542 may be realized as a dielectric layer formed substantially of titanium silicon oxide. Floating gate dielectric 542 may include multiple layers in which at least one layer is substantially titanium silicon oxide. In an embodiment, control gate 550 is formed over and contacts floating gate dielectric 542.

Alternatively, both gate dielectric 540 and floating gate dielectric 542 may be formed as dielectric layers including a titanium silicon oxide film. Gate dielectric 540 and floating gate dielectric 542 may be realized by embodiments similar to those described herein with the remaining elements of the transistor 500 formed using processes known to those skilled in the art.

In an embodiment, gate dielectric 540 forms a tunnel gate insulator and floating gate dielectric 542 forms an inter-gate insulator in flash memory devices, where gate dielectric 540 and/or floating gate dielectric 542 include an insulating layer having an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide. Use of dielectric layers configured in various embodiments is not limited to silicon based substrates, but may be used with a variety of semiconductor substrates.

The embodiments of methods for forming dielectric layers containing a titanium silicon oxide film may also be applied to forming capacitors in various integrated circuits, memory devices, and electronic systems. In an embodiment for forming a capacitor 600 illustrated in FIG. 6, a method includes forming a first conductive layer 610, forming a dielectric layer 620 containing a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition on first conductive layer 610, and forming a second conductive layer 630 on dielectric layer 620. Dielectric layer 620 including an insulating layer having a titanium silicon oxide film may be formed using any of the embodiments described herein.

An interfacial layer 615 may form between first conductive layer 610 and dielectric layer 620. In an embodiment, interfacial layer 615 may be limited to a relatively small thickness compared to dielectric layer 620, or to a thickness significantly less than dielectric layer 620 as to be effectively eliminated. In an embodiment, interfacial layer 615 is substantially without a silicon oxide layer.

Dielectric layer 620 may be realized as a dielectric layer formed substantially of titanium silicon oxide. Dielectric layer 620 may include multiple layers in which at least one layer is substantially titanium silicon oxide. In an embodiment, dielectric layer 620 may include multiple layers where a substantially titanium silicon oxide film contacts first conductive layer 610. Embodiments for dielectric layer 620 in a capacitor include, but are not limited to, dielectrics in DRAM capacitors and dielectrics in capacitors in analog, radio frequency (RF), and mixed signal (analog and digital) integrated circuits.

Various embodiments for a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition may provide for enhanced device performance by providing devices with reduced leakage current. In an embodiment, such improvements in leakage current characteristics may be attained by forming one or more layers of an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide in a nanolaminate structure with other dielectric layers including other metal oxides such as titanium oxide. The transition from one layer of the nanolaminate to another layer of the nanolaminate provides further disruption to a tendency for an ordered structure in the nanolaminate stack. The term “nanolaminate” means a composite film of ultra thin layers of two or more materials in a layered stack. Typically, each layer in a nanolaminate has a thickness of an order of magnitude in the nanometer range. Further, each individual material layer of the nanolaminate may have a thickness as low as a monolayer of the material or as high as 20 nanometers. In an embodiment, a TiO_(x)/TiSiO_(x) nanolaminate contains alternating layers of a titanium oxide and a titanium silicon oxide.

FIG. 7 depicts a nanolaminate structure 700 for an embodiment of a dielectric structure including an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film. In an embodiment, nanolaminate structure 700 includes a plurality of layers 705-1, 705-2 to 705-N, where at least one layer contains a titanium silicon oxide film formed according to an embodiment herein. The other layers may be other dielectric layers or dielectric metal oxides. The sequencing of the layers depends on the application. In an embodiment, an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film is the first layer formed on a substrate. In an embodiment, nanolaminate structure 700 contains an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film in contact with conductive contact 710 and/or conductive contact 720. The effective dielectric constant associated with nanolaminate structure 700 is that attributable to N capacitors in series, where each capacitor has a thickness defined by the thickness of the corresponding layer. By selecting each thickness and the composition of each layer, a nanolaminate structure can be engineered to have a predetermined dielectric constant. Embodiments for structures such as nanolaminate structure 700 may be used as nanolaminate dielectrics in NROM flash memory devices as well as other integrated circuits. In an embodiment, a layer of the nanolaminate structure 700 is used to store charge in the NROM device. The charge storage layer of a nanolaminate structure 700 in an NROM device may be, but is not limited to, a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, or other nitride layer.

Transistors, capacitors, and other devices having dielectric films containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film formed by the methods described above may be implemented into memory devices and electronic systems including information handling devices. Embodiments of these information handling devices may include wireless systems, telecommunication systems, and computers. Further, embodiments of electronic devices having dielectric films containing a titanium silicon oxide film may be realized as integrated circuits.

FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram for an electronic system 800 having one or more devices having a dielectric layer containing an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film fabricated according to various embodiments. Electronic system 800 includes a controller 805, a bus 815, and an electronic device 825, where bus 815 provides electrical conductivity between controller 805 and electronic device 825. In various embodiments, controller 805 and/or electronic device 825 include an embodiment for a dielectric layer having a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition as previously discussed herein. Electronic system 800 may include, but is not limited to, information handling devices, wireless systems, telecommunication systems, fiber optic systems, electro-optic systems, and computers.

FIG. 9 depicts a diagram of an embodiment of a system 900 having a controller 905 and a memory 925. Controller 905 and/or memory 925 may include a dielectric layer having an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film fabricated according to various embodiments. System 900 also includes an electronic apparatus 935, and a bus 915, where bus 915 provides electrical conductivity between controller 905 and electronic apparatus 935, and between controller 905 and memory 925. Bus 915 may include an address, a data bus, and a control bus, each independently configured. Alternatively, bus 915 may use common conductive lines for providing address, data, and/or control, the use of which is regulated by controller 905. In an embodiment, electronic apparatus 935 may be additional memory configured similar to memory 925. An embodiment may include an additional peripheral device or devices 945 coupled to bus 915. In an embodiment, controller 905 is a processor. Any of controller 905, memory 925, bus 915, electronic apparatus 935, and peripheral devices 945 may include a dielectric layer including a titanium silicon oxide film formed according to various embodiments. System 900 may include, but is not limited to, information handling devices, telecommunication systems, and computers.

Peripheral devices 945 may include displays, additional storage memory, or other control devices that may operate in conjunction with controller 905. Alternatively, peripheral devices 945 may include displays, additional storage memory, or other control devices that may operate in conjunction with controller 905 and/or memory 925.

Memory 925 may be realized as a memory device containing a dielectric layer including a titanium silicon oxide film formed according to various embodiments. It will be understood that embodiments are equally applicable to any size and type of memory circuit and are not intended to be limited to a particular type of memory device. Memory types include a DRAM, SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or Flash memories. Additionally, the DRAM could be a synchronous DRAM commonly referred to as SGRAM (Synchronous Graphics Random Access Memory), SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory), SDRAM II, and DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM), as well as Synchlink or Rambus DRAMs and other emerging DRAM technologies.

Formation of dielectric layers containing a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition, processed in relatively low temperatures, may be amorphous and possess smooth surfaces. Such titanium silicon oxide films can provide enhanced electrical properties due to their smoother surface, resulting in reduced leakage current. Additionally, such dielectric layers provide a significantly thicker physical thickness than a silicon oxide layer having the same equivalent oxide thickness, where the increased thickness would also reduce leakage current. These properties of embodiments of dielectric layers allow for application as dielectric layers in numerous electronic devices and systems.

Capacitors, transistors, higher level ICs or devices including memory devices, and electronic systems are constructed utilizing the novel process for forming a dielectric film having an ultra thin equivalent oxide thickness, t_(eq). Gate dielectric layers or films including an atomic layer deposited titanium silicon oxide film may be formed having a dielectric constant (κ) substantially higher than that of silicon oxide. These dielectric films are capable of a t_(eq) thinner than SiO₂ gate dielectrics of the same physical thickness. Alternatively, the high dielectric constant relative to silicon dioxide allows the use of much larger physical thickness of these high-κ dielectric materials for the same t_(eq) of SiO₂. Forming the relatively larger thickness aids in processing gate dielectrics and other dielectric layers in electronic devices and systems.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon studying the above description. The scope of the present invention includes any other applications in which embodiment of the above structures and fabrication methods are used. The scope of the embodiments of the present invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

1. A method comprising: forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film in an integrated circuit, the titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition including regulating oxygen incorporation in the titanium silicon oxide film, the titanium silicon oxide film essentially consisting of titanium, silicon, and oxygen, wherein the atomic layer deposition includes applying a titanium-containing precursor independently from applying a silicon-containing precursor with a purge process between applying the titanium-containing precursor and applying the silicon-containing precursor and applying a first oxygen reactant precursor for reaction after applying a titanium-containing precursor separate from applying a second oxygen reactant precursor for reaction after applying the silicon-containing precursor.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein regulating oxygen incorporation in the titanium silicon oxide film includes using a precursor containing titanium that is substantially without oxygen content, a precursor containing silicon that is substantially without oxygen content, and oxygen reactant precursors.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer containing a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer containing a TiSi_(x)O_(y) film.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer substantially as the titanium silicon oxide film.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes forming the titanium silicon oxide film with a predetermined amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as a dielectric in a capacitor in the integrated circuit.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as a dielectric in a capacitor of a dynamic random access memory in the integrated circuit.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as a gate insulator in a silicon complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes controlling formation of oxygen vacancies in the titanium silicon oxide film during the formation of the titanium silicon oxide film.
 11. The method of claim 2, wherein using a precursor containing titanium that is substantially without oxygen content and a precursor containing silicon that is substantially without oxygen content includes using a titanium halide precursor and a silicon halide precursor.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein using a titanium halide precursor and a silicon halide precursor includes using TiCl₄ as a precursor and SiCl₄ as a precursor.
 13. A method comprising: forming a layer of TiO_(x) by atomic layer deposition on a substrate using a titanium halide precursor; and forming a layer of SiO_(y) by atomic layer deposition on the substrate using a silicon halide precursor to form a titanium silicon oxide film in an integrated circuit, the titanium silicon oxide film essentially consisting of titanium, silicon, and oxygen, wherein the SiO_(y) is deposited in a sequence different from depositing the TiO_(x).
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes regulating oxygen incorporation in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer containing a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer containing a TiSi_(x)O_(y) film.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer substantially as a titanium silicon oxide.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further includes forming the titanium silicon oxide film with a predetermined amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the layer of TiO_(x) by atomic layer deposition using a titanium halide precursor includes forming the layer of TiO_(x) by atomic layer deposition using a TiCl₄ precursor.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein forming a layer of SiO_(x) by atomic layer deposition includes forming the layer of SiO_(y) by atomic layer deposition using a SiCl₄ precursor.
 21. The method of claim 13, wherein forming a layer of TiO_(x) by atomic layer deposition and forming a layer of SiO_(y) by atomic layer deposition includes forming an atomic layer of TiO_(x) followed by forming an atomic layer of SiO_(y).
 22. The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes controlling formation of oxygen vacancies in the titanium silicon oxide film during the formation of the titanium silicon oxide film.
 23. A method comprising: pulsing a titanium halide precursor on a substrate; pulsing a first oxygen reactant precursor to the substrate after pulsing the titanium halide such that a reaction occurs at a surface of the substrate; pulsing nitrogen or an inert gas after the reaction occurs; pulsing a silicon halide precursor on the substrate after the pulsing of the nitrogen or the inert gas, the silicon halide precursor pulsed independently from pulsing the titanium halide precursor; and pulsing a second oxygen reactant precursor on the substrate after pulsing the silicon halide precursors to form a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition in an integrated circuit, the titanium silicon oxide film essentially consisting of titanium, silicon, and oxygen.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the method includes regulating oxygen incorporation in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein pulsing a titanium halide precursor and a silicon halide precursor includes pulsing TiCl₄ and SiCl₄.
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer containing a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein forming a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film includes forming the dielectric layer containing a TiSi_(x)O_(y) film.
 28. A method comprising: forming a memory array in an integrated circuit including forming a dielectric layer in a cell of the memory array, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition using a titanium halide precursor and a silicon halide precursor such the titanium halide precursor is applied independently from applying the silicon halide precursor and a first oxygen reactant precursor for reaction after applying a titanium-containing precursor is applied separate from applying a second oxygen reactant precursor for reaction after applying the silicon-containing precursor, the titanium silicon oxide film essentially consisting of titanium, silicon, and oxygen.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the method includes regulating oxygen incorporation in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 30. The method of claim 28, wherein using a titanium halide precursor and a silicon halide precursor includes using TiCl₄ as a precursor and SiCl₄ as a precursor.
 31. The method of claim 28, wherein forming a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition includes forming the titanium silicon oxide film substantially as a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture.
 32. The method of claim 28, wherein forming a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition includes forming the titanium silicon oxide film substantially as TiSi_(x)O_(y).
 33. The method of claim 28, wherein the method further includes forming the titanium silicon oxide film with a predetermined amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 34. The method of claim 28, wherein forming a titanium silicon oxide film by atomic layer deposition includes depositing an atomic layer of TiO_(x) followed by depositing an atomic layer of SiO_(y).
 35. The method of claim 28, wherein forming a memory array includes forming a memory array of a dynamic random access memory.
 36. The method of claim 28, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as a dielectric in a capacitor of a dynamic random access memory.
 37. The method of claim 28, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as a tunnel gate insulator in a flash memory device.
 38. The method of claim 28, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as an inter-gate insulator in a flash memory device.
 39. The method of claim 28, wherein forming the dielectric layer includes forming the dielectric layer as a dielectric in a NROM flash memory.
 40. The method of claim 28, wherein the method includes controlling formation of oxygen vacancies in the titanium silicon oxide film during the formation of the titanium silicon oxide film.
 41. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the dielectric layer as a dielectric in a NROM flash memory includes forming the dielectric layer as a nanolaminate.
 42. A method comprising: providing a controller; coupling an integrated circuit to the controller, wherein at least one of the controller or the integrated circuit includes a dielectric layer containing a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition, the titanium silicon oxide film essentially consisting of titanium, silicon, and oxygen, wherein the atomic layer deposition includes applying a titanium-containing precursor independently from applying a silicon-containing precursor and applying a first oxygen reactant precursor for reaction after applying a titanium-containing precursor separate from applying a second oxygen reactant precursor for reaction after applying the silicon-containing precursor.
 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the method includes regulating oxygen incorporation in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 44. The method of claim 42, wherein applying a titanium-containing precursor independently from applying a silicon-containing precursor includes using TiCl₄ as a precursor and SiCl₄ as a precursor.
 45. The method of claim 42, wherein coupling an integrated circuit to the controller includes coupling a memory device formed as the integrated circuit, the memory device having the dielectric layer containing the titanium silicon oxide film.
 46. The method of claim 42, wherein providing a controller includes providing a processor.
 47. The method of claim 42, wherein coupling an integrated circuit to the controller includes coupling a mixed signal integrated circuit formed as the integrated circuit having the dielectric layer containing the titanium silicon oxide film.
 48. The method of claim 42, wherein a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition includes the titanium silicon oxide film formed substantially as a TiO_(x)/SiO_(y) mixture.
 49. The method of claim 42, wherein a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition includes the titanium silicon oxide film formed substantially as TiSi_(x)O_(y).
 50. The method of claim 42, wherein a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition includes the titanium silicon oxide film formed with a predetermined amount of silicon with respect to the total amount of silicon and titanium in the titanium silicon oxide film.
 51. The method of claim 42, wherein a titanium silicon oxide film formed by atomic layer deposition includes the titanium silicon oxide film formed by depositing an atomic layer of TiO_(x) followed by depositing an atomic layer of SiO_(y).
 52. The method of claim 42, wherein the method is a method of forming an information handling system. 